Police Claim 34-Year-Old Black Woman Was Armed With A Steak Knife And Killed Her

The family is calling for a transparent investigation.

On March 18, officers shot an unarmed 22-year-old Stephon Clark. However, Clark isn’t the only tragedy from that week. Five days before, on March 13, 34-year-old Decynthia Clements was shot and killed by police in Elgin, Illinois.

CNN.com reports, for an hour, police tried to get a possibly suicidal Clements out of her car and they also alleged she was armed with a steak knife. “Authorities say she refused, and at one point she set something on fire and threw it into the back seat. As smoke filled the car, police moved toward it to force her out. But she opened the door, choking on the smoke, and got out of the car as three gunshots rang out. Police say she had a knife in her left hand, but it’s not clear in the video.”

Antonio Romanucci, an attorney for Clements’ family, told CNN that police had “no reason” to open fire and “there was no evidence that police were in fear of their own bodily harm.” He also added, “Since they did not deal with this as a medical situation, they dealt with this as a militarized, police situation. Because one officer perceived her as deadly threat, despite the plan not to kill her, with all those officers there, it was predetermined that she would die.” The family is hoping for a “transparent investigation.”

Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this tragedy. Rest in peace, Decynthia Clements.